Watch regulating device



Feb. 26, 1957 G. F. GUIDA ETAL 2,782,591

WATCH REGULATING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1954 INVENTORS GENE E Gum y ARTHUR GUIDA United States Patent WATCH REGULATING DEVICE Gene F. Guida, Bogota, and Arthur Guida, Fairview, N. J. Application July 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,392

4 Claims. (Cl. 58-111) This invention relates to regulators for watches. More particularly, the invention has reference to a regulator means manipulable from a location exteriorly of the watch case, without the necessity of removing the back of said case.

While it is not new, per se, to provide a regulator means operable without removal of the case back, it is proposed to improve upon structures of this type previously conceived, by the provision of an inexpensive sector gear applicable to a conventional regulator lever and adapted to shift the same about its pivot by rotation of a screw having its head accessible from without the case and having a pinion rotatable therewith and meshing with the sectorgear.

A further object is to so design the sector gear and pinion as to reduce the speed of rotatable movement of the sector gear considerably in relation to the speed of rotary motion of the screw, thus to facilitate the accurate making of fine adjustments in the position of the regulating lever.

A further object is to so form the sector gear as to permit its manufacture at low cost, provide for its at tachment to conventional regulating levers, and effect its connection to the regulating lever at a location spaced well away from the pivot axis of said lever, intermediate opposite ends of the pointer of the lever.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a watch to which the invention has been applied, the device constituting the invention being illustrated in top plan.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the regulator mechanism substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4- is an enlarged perspective view of the sector gear per se.

The reference numeral has been applied to a conventionally shaped regulator cock, above which is pivoted the conventional regulator lever 29. Lever 20, as is usual, is shiftab'le in opposite directions to regulate the associated hairspring, not shown, of the watch. The lever is provided with an annular main portion or body, said body being integrally formed with a pointer 22 extending radially from the body and tapering in a direction away from the axis of pivotal movement of the lever. Ordinarily, the pointer is engaged by a suitable tool, not shown, after the back of the watch case is removed, and is shifted back and forth over a calibrated scale marked upon the cock. This, however, is undesirable in view of the necessity of opening the case and in view of the "ice inaccuracies attendant upon handling of the regulator lever in the manner stated.

In accordance with the invention, a sector gear 24, carried by the removable back of the case, is positioned over the lever 20 and is formed as a thin, flat sheet metal stamping 26, the smaller end of which is formed as a circular element concentric with and slightly smaller than the body of the lever. A center opening 28 in said element receives the shank of a screw 18 threaded into the case back 50.

Tangent to the circular element are arms 30 diverging in a direction away from said element at opposite sides of the pointer. Arms 30 at their divergent ends are integral with opposite ends of a bight 32, the outer edge of which is formed with a series of teeth 34, which series is curved in a wide are about the common pivot center of the sector gear and regulator lever. Larger teeth 35, at opposite ends of the series of teeth 34, limit movement of the sector gear in opposite directions.

The bight 32 extends between the arms 30, and is integral along its straight inner edge with wings 36 bent downwardly out of the common plane of the circular element, arms, and bight to engage against opposite sides of pointer 22 at a location near the outer end of the pointer. The wings are spaced closely apart along the longitudinal center of the sector gear through the provision of a longitudinal slot 38 formed therebetween, in which slot the pointer is engaged. At its inner end, that is, the end nearer bight 32, slot 38 opens into a circular opening 40 formed in the larger end portion of the sector gear to facilitate bending of the wings downwardly along a bend line, extending transversely of the sector gear adjacent the series of teeth and coincident with the inner edge of the bight. The opening, additionally, permits observation of the calibrations 41 marked on the surface of the cock.

Teeth 34 mesh with the teeth of a small pinion 42 threaded onto the shank of a screw 44 for rotation with the screw. On the outer end of the shank is a head 44. the shank having a smooth part extending, adjacent head 44, through an opening 48 or" the watch case back 50. In constructions in which observation of the calibrations 41 is desired, the case back may be wholly or partly transparent, being formed in such instances of transparent plastic. Alternatively, the calibrations might be marked directly upon the case back, with the screw head 44 having an index marking or even a short pointer. Head 44 is countersunk in the illustrated example in the back 50 so as not to project therefrom and cause attendant discomfort when the watch is worn, but if dc sired, need not be so countersunk. The same is true of screw 18. Rivets could be used instead of screws 18 and 44, further, if desired.

A screw driver bit, not shown, can be inserted in the kerf of the head 44 without removal of the case back 50 and by rotation of the screw, the sector gear will be caused to slowly traverse the regulator cock in a selected direction to effect corresponding movement of the regulator lever. Accurate regulation of the watch, without modifying the lever and without opening the watch case. is thus allowed. it an important feature of the invention that the device is carried entirely by the case back 50. No modification or redesign of the conventional movement, regulator cock, etc., is necessary. To incorporate the device in a conventional watch, it is necessary only that the attachment be secured to the case back. When the case back is then placed in position on the case, the device will automatically embrace the pointer 22 in operative relation thereto. The user can then make adjustments in the lever position from time to time as necessary, with- .Of watch case.

out removing the case back, and said adjustments will be very accurate, due to the gear ratios.

The device can of course be used on any size or shape While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Pat ent is:

1. In a watch regulator mechanism, a removable back or a watch case, a regulator cock located below and in spaced relation to said removable back, a regulator lever pivoted on said cock, a pointer carried by said lever, a sector gear pivotally mounted on said back and engaged with the lever to pivot therewith, a pinion in mesh with the gear to shift the same about the common pivot axis of the gear and lever, and a screw rotatable with the pinion, said screw extending through said back and hav ing a head accessible from without the case, the sector gear, screw and pinion being carried by said hack free of connections to the cock and lever so as to be removable with said back from the watch case, said sector gear being formed With a circular element at one end concentric with said axis, the sector gear having teeth at its other end meshing with the pinion, said sector gear further including arms diverging from the circular element and disposed tangentially to said element at opposite sides of the regulating lever pointer, said sector gear further including a bight extending between the divergent ends of the arms and on which the teeth are formed, said bight, arms, and circular element all lying in a common plane paralleling the plane of rotation of the lever, said sector gear additionally including wings rigid with said bight at opposite sides of said pointer, said wings being inclined out of the first-named plane into the plane of the lever and engaging opposite sides of the pointer.

2. In a watch regulator mechanism, a removable back of a watch case, a regulator cock located below and in spaced relation to said removable back, a regulator lever pivoted on said cock, a pointer carried by said lever, a sector gear pivotally mounted on said back and engaged with the lever to pivot therewith, a pinion in mesh with the gear to shift the same about the common pivot axis of the gear and lever, and a screw rotatable with the pinion, said screw extending through said back and having a head accessible from without the case, the sector gear, screw and pinion being carried by said back free of connections to the cock and lever so as to be removable with said back from the watch case, said sector gear being formed with a circular element at one end concentric with said axis, the sector gear having teeth at its other end meshing with the pinion, said sector gear further including arms diverging from the circular element and disposed tangentially to said element at opposite sides of the regulating lever pointer, said sector gear further including a bight extending between the divergent ends of the arms and on which the teeth are formed, said bight, arms, and circular element all lying in a common plane paralleling the plane of rotation of the lever, said sector gear additionally including wings rigid with said 4 bight at opposite sides of said pointer, said wings being inclined out of the first-named plane into the plane of the lever, said sector gear having a longitudinal slot receiving said pointer, adjacent walls of the wings defining the opposite walls of the slot.

3. In a watch regulator mechanism, a removable back of a watch case, a regulator cock located below and in spaced relation to said removable back, a regulator lever pivoted on said cock, a pointer carried by said lever, a sector gear pivotally mounted on said back and engaged with the lever to pivot therewith, a pinion in mesh with the gear to shift the same about the common pivot axis of the gear and lever, and a screw rotatable with the pinion, said screw extending through said back and having a head accessible from without the case, the sector gear, screw and pinion being carried by said hack free of connections to the cock and lever so as to be removable with said back from the watch case, said sector gear being formed with a circular element at one end concentric with said axis, the sector gear having teeth at its other end meshing with the pinion, said sector gear further including arms diverging from the circular element and disposed tangentially to said element at opposite sides of the regulating lever pointer, said sector gear further including a bight extending between the divergent ends of the arms and on which the teeth are formed, said bight, arms, and circular element all lying in a common plane paralleling the plane of rotation of the lever, said sector gear additionally including wings rigid with said bight at opposite sides of said pointer, said wings being inclined out of the first-named plane into the plane of the lever, said sector gear having a longitudinal slot receiving said pointer, adjacent walls of the wings defining the opposite Walls of the slot, said bight being formed with a circular opening through which the tip of the lever pointer is visible, said slot communicating with said opening.

4. In a watch regulator mechanism, a removable back of a watch case, a regulator cock located below and in spaced relation to said removable back, a regulator lever pivoted on said cock and including a pointer, a sector gear adjustably mounted on said back coaxially with said regulator lever, wings on said sector gear inclined out of plane of the sector gear and into the plane of the lever, adjusting means mounted in said watch case back and engaging said sector gear for rotation to adjust the position of the pointer, a series of teeth on said sector gear engaging said adjusting means, said sector gear converging from said teeth toward the pivotal axis of the regulator lever, terminating in a circular element having a central opening for pivoted movement on said back coaxially with said pivotal axis of the regulator lever, enlarged teeth on said sector gear at the ends of said series of teeth serving as stop means to limit rotation of the sector gear, said sector gear including a longitudinal slot between said wings for receiving said pointer, and including a circular opening communicating with and aligned with the slot through which the end of the pointer is visible.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,819 Sibley June 23, 1903 1,860,153 Neureuther May 24, 1932 2,602,286 Schmitz et a1. July 8, 1952 

